Category Archives: Nutrition

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Eating Right to Fight Cancer

It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat that keeps you healthy, say researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Using the right combination of unrefined carbs and protein (100-200 calories) and snacking every few hours, keeps blood sugar levels steadier, and your body healthier.  “Eating a healthy meal or snack every few hours refuels your body and puts you in better shape to fight off diseases like cancer,” Mary Ellen Herndon, an MD Anderson wellness dietician said in a statement.  Healthy snacking is encouraged if the next meal is more than six hours away.

Most of us already know this but frequently ignore the advice. It’s easy to tune out nutritional recommendations and reach for high carb, high sugar, empty-nutrient foods – soda, candy, chips – for a quick boost. Some of us (including me) may skip a meal because we’re either “too busy” to stop or think it will help take off some pounds.

“Skipping meals might seem like a quick and easy way to lose weight,” Herndon said. “But starving your body of essential calories can actually lead to weight gain over time.”

The Center’s infographic [below] is an “in your face” reminder.

Do infographics get your attention or if they just more visual clutter to ignore? Let me know.

The Perfect Snack Combo


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Calcium Supplements May be Bad for Your Heart. Or not.

500 mg calcium supplement tablets, with vitami...

I feel caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. A new study just released in the journal Heart shows that calcium supplements — the type that many women take for to improve bone health — may be linked to higher incidence of heart attacks. Researchers also found that increasing calcium in the diet had no significant advantage in terms of preventing heart disease and stroke.

This was a fairly large scale, long-term European study of 24,000 people, who were tracked for 11 years — so the results are hard to brush off. It’s true that those with moderate dietary calcium intake had lower risk of heart attack by almost a third compared with those in the bottom 25 percent of intake levels; however people whose diet included above-average calcium levels did not have significantly lower risk.

Those who took both vitamin supplements and calcium supplements regularly were 86% more likely to have a heart attack than those who didn’t use any supplements. And this risk increased further among those who used only calcium supplements. They were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack as those who didn’t take any supplements.

The authors conclude: “This study suggests that increasing calcium intake from diet might not confer significant cardiovascular benefits, while calcium supplements, which might raise [heart attack] risk, should be taken with caution.”

So what do you do? Calcium supplements have been pretty much de rigueur to combat osteoporosis, especially in menopausal age women.

Now researchers tell me it can possibly lead to a heart attack? Apparently supplements have also been linked to kidney stones, and don’t have that much of an effect on bone health – yielding only about a 10% reduction in fractures. These investigators are pushing for a return to a more balanced diet that includes plenty of calcium naturally found in products like milk, cheese, broccoli and almonds.

Ok, but let’s get real. The diets of most Americans are anything but balanced.

The study also has its critics. In a report by HealthDay News. Robert Recker, M.D., president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation said he believed the study’s findings were flawed, or at the very least, biased. It’s not surprising that NOF takes this position, since their overall goal is bone health. That, of course, requires a certain level of calcium intake. As a lay person, I can’t begin to guess whether or not there were problems with the study. However, I can express concern and frustration.

It’s another example of “now what?” Calcium is good for you. No, it’s bad. Red wine is good for your heart. No, it’s not. Chocolate has protective ingredients – but don’t eat too much. Here’s the latest wonder drug. Wait, the FDA is pulling it off the market.

Is it any surprise that people are confused?

What are the trade offs? All most of us want to know is whether or not we need to boost something in our diets for better health – or cut something out because it will cause harm. We’re getting a lot of mixed messages depending on who is doing the research — and where the funding is coming from. Maybe we need a study about studies.

In the meantime, it seems as if the best thing to do is to check with your doctor and see whether osteoporosis or heart attacks are more of a risk if you take calcium supplements. Researchers have no definitive answer. At least this week.

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New Study Links Coffee Drinking and Longevity

A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto: Taso de...

Like your latte? Go ahead and make it a Grande.

A study in Wednesday’s New England Journal of Medicine  has some good news for coffee lovers. Researchers looked at whether there was a tie between coffee consumption and cause-specific death of nearly 400,000 people age 50-71 over a 14-year period.

After adjusting for several variables such as tobacco smoking, they found “significant inverse association between coffee consumption and mortality.” The rate of death went down as people drank more coffee.

Based on the research, male coffee drinkers were about 10 percent less likely to die of heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, or infections than male non-coffee drinkers. Women that drank at least several cups a day showed up to a 16 percent reduction in mortality rates compared to those that drank none.

It’s not clear yet exactly what the link is between the java and longevity, although investigators do not think it is a direct cause and effect relationship. Lead researcher Neil Freedman speculated that it could be related to coffee’s effect on the brain, or on bone health, Reuters News reported.

There may also be other variable that affected results. Caffiene is only one of about a thousand different compounds  in coffee beans – and one – or many – of these components may prove to be the key. There was also little difference found between regular and decaf — good for those that can’t tolerate caffeine.

There has been quite a media buzz about this study. Usually it’s the negative effects of coffee, and associated behaviors such as smoking and lack of exercise that makes news. (Maybe it’s because journalists drink a lot of the stuff.).

If age were the only factor in this particular study, researchers say the results would have been much different. However, by eliminating many characteristics usually found among coffee drinkers, such as more meat consumption, smoking, and lower rate of physical activity, the results were completely different. The only disease that was not affected by coffee drinking was cancer, according to the study results.

So does this mean non-coffee drinkers should start downing several cups of joe daily? Not yet. Researchers caution that more detailed, and larger investigations need to be done before anything conclusive can be determined. If you really want to live longer, improve your diet, exercise more, don’t smoke, and practice other preventive health measures.

Additionally, a number of scientists not involved in the research point to several problems with the study design. However, as Freedman told USA Today, at least people can feel a little more comfortable about coffee’s health effects while paying for that overpriced espresso.

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Check Your “D”

My doctor and I were recently surprised by the results of routine blood test – my vitamin D levels were well below the “normal” range. Of the various health issues to be concerned about, Vitamin D was nowhere near the top of my list. Recent studies in the journal Nutrition Research and The Southern Medical Journal confirm why it should be on yours.

Vitamin D is vital in maintaining calcium and phosphorus levels. It helps the body absorb calcium, which is vital to strong, healthy bones. Studies also show it protects the body from osteoporosis, rickets, high blood pressure, cancer, and other disorders. Vitamin D also has a role in your nerve, muscle, and immune systems. [Mayo Clinic]. This is one “D” you want to have!

Your body naturally forms Vitamin D after exposure to sunlight. However, be cautious, since too much sun exposure can lead to skin aging and skin cancer. Just 10 to 15 minutes of sunshine three times weekly is enough to produce the body’s requirement of vitamin D, according to the CDC. The sun needs to shine on the skin of your face, arms, back, or legs (without sunscreen). Because of the risk for skin cancer, you should use sunscreen after a few minutes in the sun.

You can get also get Vitamin D through your diet – it is found in in egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver. Some other foods high in Vitamin D include dairy products – cheese, butter, cream, and fortified milk (all milk in the U.S. is fortified with vitamin D); fatty fish (such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel); oysters; fortified breakfast cereals, margarine, and soy milk (check the Nutrition Fact Panel on the food label) [NIH 2012].

Vitamin D sources

Many people do not get enough vitamin D through diet.  So a vitamin D supplement may be necessary. Always check with your health care provider to see whether or not you need one and if so, how much to take. The Institute of Medicine has revised the intake guidelines, and has concluded that more isn’t necessarily better — as too much Vitamin D can lead to other health problems.

Seniors, breastfed infants, people with dark skin, those with certain conditions such as liver diseases, cystic fibrosis and Crohn’s disease, and people who are obese or have had gastric bypass surgery are at greater risk for inadequate or deficient levels of Vitamin D.

I don’t fall into any of these categories. So what’s up test results? A CDC analysis shows that from 2001-2006, about one-quarter of the population was at risk of vitamin D inadequacy (serum 25OHD 30–49 nmol/L), and 8 percent were at risk of vitamin D deficiency (serum 25OHD less than 30 nmol/L). Additionally, many people over 50, particularly women, no longer produce enough Vitamin D naturally. That is my niche.

We know that bone density decreases significantly after menopause. Women who are peri-menopausal also have bone-related deficiencies, including low vitamin D levels, according to a recent study at the Carlos III Institute in Spain. Researchers recommend a diet with less protein and fat and more nuts, vegetables and carbohydrates, to correct low levels of vitamins D and achieve a better overall dietary balance.

If you are in a high risk group or are peri-, post-, or active menopausal age, talk to your doctor. Ensuring bone health now could prevent many future health issues.

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Super Size Me

A fast food hamburger in a sesame bun, the Pan...

Image via Wikipedia

Americans may be behind in math, and science, and our economy is in the tank – but there is something we can claim to be ahead in.

Obesity rates.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently issued a new report that showed an increase in obesity rates over the past year in 16 states, and none – none – showed a decline. Every state except Colorado now has obesity rates over 20 percent. Colorado — they sneak by with 19.8 percent. Not much to be proud of there. And Mississippi… well, they’ve been at the top of the obesity rate list for seven years running now.

Check out this map to see where your state ranks.

This is really sad news for both our health and our economy. We already know obesity is tied to all kinds of other diseases – heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, some cancers, to name a few. The report also shows how rates for these and other obesity-related illnesses have dramatically grown over the past 20 years. Yet so often, obesity is easily preventable.

Economically, the obesity epidemic further taxes our health system, creates a host of unnecessary expenditures, lost days from work or school, and diminished quality and length of life. Plus, there’s the psychological toll, especially on kids and teens.The only ones that seem to be profiting from this epidemic are the fast food restaurants and junk food makers.

What’s it going to take before people wake up?

From a policy standpoint, pending legislation needs to be passed and implemented to promote physical activity, and improve preventive efforts. Additionally, funding needs to be restored or increased to important programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The new food pyramid, now known as My Plate, makes it incredibly simple for everyone to understand what goes into a healthy diet.

Unless there is some physical reason not to – each one of us has to take responsibility for ensuring that we don’t contribute to these rising rates. The solution is the same that the experts have been touting for years — control portions, eat more fruits & vegetables, cut out high-fat, high salt, high calorie foods, and exercise. Every little bit helps.

As the saying goes, “you are what you eat.” Do you really want to look like a Big Mac?